For decades urinary incontinence or incontinency has been associated with shame, embarrassment and silence even though the World Health Organization estimates that there are 200 million worldwide with symptoms of male or female urinary incontinence. A true number is not known because the problem is so under reported. It is estimated that urinary incontinence affects 25 million Americans. This condition impacts quality of life by interfacing with work, travel, social recreation and is associated with an increased number of falls, urinary tract infections arid skin breakdown. Professionals are only recently learning progressive therapies for incontinence and many lay persons are still keeping their problem a secret. Prevention of this problem is a relatively new concept with little research data reported. Factors involved in bladder and/or sphincter problems and pelvic support are being looked at for preventing some forms of urinary incontinence.
A female urinary system includes an appliance having a hollow open top urine receiving body with a peripheral rim for fitting under the urethra so that urine may flow into the body. The body has a receiving portion which would be located below the urethra. The receiving portion merges into a discharge bowl. A discharge opening or passage is located in the discharge bowl which communicates with a downwardly extending discharge tube. The central axis of the body forms an angle greater than 90xc2x0 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the discharge tube. The discharge tube includes bending structure on its outer surface to permit the discharge tube to bend without kinking and without cutting off flow of urine through the discharge tube. An important feature of the invention is a vent located in the receiving portion of the body generally at the peripheral rim.
In a preferred practice of the invention the bending structure of the discharge tube is a spiral groove in its outer surface. The vent includes a hole extending in generally the uppermost part of the receiving portion of the body slightly below the peripheral rim. The vent further includes a vent groove which leads from the vent hole and extends to the spiral groove.
The angle between the central axis of the body and the longitudinal axis of the discharge tube is preferably in the range of 110xc2x0-140xc2x0 and most preferably is 120xc2x0.
The appliance is preferably part of a kit which also includes a collection bag which in use would be in flow communication with the discharge tube. The kit further includes a leg sleeve which would be worn on the leg of the user. The leg sleeve preferably includes a pocket into which the collection bag would be inserted. The kit further preferably includes panties where the appliance would be located and an absorbent pad which would be mounted in the panties below the receiving body of the appliance.